Our Snail Beauty also has a long history

"I told you not to register," Zhang Wenxiu chimed in, "Our snail store has been open for less than a year. It's not surprising they wouldn't acknowledge it."

"But why does the guy next door selling dried radishes become Xinfeng's special product?"

"That's quite normal. The folks in Xinfeng have always liked eating dried radishes, so they're considered a local product. Besides, dried radishes have a history of several hundred years, making them more 'special' than our snail."

"But the radish dumplings don't have that much history, yet they've become a special product?"

"Who says radish dumplings don't have a long history? Xinfeng's radish dumplings were quite famous during the Republican era."

"Nonsense, it's all fabricated. They just saw our store is only a year old, which is why they won't let us register. If we've been open for ten or eight years, we'd surely become Xinfeng's special product as well."

"Knowing is enough."

Zhang Wenxiu consoled Chen Simian, saying, "In the end, whether it's recognized as Xinfeng's special product isn't that important. Plus, our business is doing well on its own."

"Even though that's true, having the government's promotion will undoubtedly be useful."

Sighing, Chen Simian was still somewhat unwilling.

At this moment, Chen Yu said, "Dad, what's the big deal? It's simple. In fact, our Snail Beauty has a history of several hundred years too."

"Huh?"

Chen Simian blinked, "Our snail dishes also have a history of several hundred years?"

Chen Yu's statement left him bewildered. How could there be a history of several hundred years? It was just established this year; there was no history of hundreds of years.

"Father, it's true."

Chen Yu earnestly replied, "In this case, Dad, tomorrow we'll go to the Commerce Bureau again. I don't believe they won't let you register."

"Well..."

"Don't hesitate, Dad. Trust me."

"Alright, I'll trust you, but you have to tell me how you plan to get me registered."

"That's a secret for now."

Chen Yu smiled.

The next day, Chen Yu and his father Chen Simian went to the county's Commerce Bureau early in the morning.

As soon as they saw Chen Simian, one of the office workers from the Commerce Bureau said, "What are you doing here again? We told you that your Snail Beauty isn't considered Xinfeng's special product."

"Sir, why doesn't Snail Beauty count as a special product of Xinfeng?"

Chen Yu told his father Chen Simian not to worry and spoke up.

"Who are you?"

"Never mind who I am. I just want to know, since it's a special product of Xinfeng, do you have certain standards to decide what qualifies? It's not right that whatever you say is a special product, is one, and whatever you say isn't, isn't. If that's the case, I might have to file a complaint with your superior office."

"Hey, kid, you can't just cause trouble. We do have standards."

Seeing Chen Yu, although young, speaking reasonably, the Commerce Bureau worker dared not dawdle and explained, "We have three criteria for designating something as Xinfeng's special product. The first is that it has to be produced in Xinfeng."

"Snail Beauty is produced in Xinfeng, so it meets the first criterion."

"The second is that it should be well-known among people."

"Who in Xinfeng doesn't know about Snail Beauty? Gentlemen here, do you know about Xinfeng's Snail Beauty?" Chen Yu asked with a smile while inquiring the business owners who had come to the office.

"We know, Snail Beauty is quite famous in Xinfeng."

"Yes, I've tried Snail Beauty."

"Not only is it renowned in Xinfeng, but I've heard there are Snail Beauty branches in all the eighteen counties around Ganzhou."

The business owners were full of praise.

Chen Simian occasionally handed out cigarettes to them and then said, "It's not just Ganzhou; we've also expanded Snail Beauty to the whole of Jiangxi."

"Wow, that's impressive."

"Please, no need for flattery; we're just trying to make a living."

A worker from the Commerce Bureau snorted and then said again, "One more thing, the product must have historical and cultural significance. Your Snail Beauty was established just this year, so perhaps in ten or eight years, it could truly become a Xinfeng specialty. But not right now."

"Sir, you're mistaken. Although our Snail Beauty was founded this year, it has a history of several hundred years. No, not just a few hundred years; it dates back nearly a thousand years."

"What? A thousand years?"

"Indeed, long before the Tang Dynasty, eating snails was a tradition in Xinfeng. During the An Lushan Rebellion, people didn't have enough food to eat, so they turned to the abundant snails found in the fields. There was a beautiful girl who boldly collected these snails, cleaned them, and then added various ingredients to create delicious snail dishes. Because the girl was so lovely, people began calling her 'Snail Beauty'."

"Really?"

The Commerce Bureau worker was taken aback. "There's this history as well?"

"Absolutely."

"You must be joking."

"Why would I joke about this? You can look it up online; there are clear records on the web."

"Alright."

With that, the worker actually opened a website and searched for 'Snail Beauty' on Baidu.

He clicked on "search".

An array of web pages discussing the taste of snails and their profitability appeared.

There were posts debating whether Snail Beauty snails were delicious or not.

Some people discussed whether running a Snail Beauty business was profitable.

Likewise, there were numerous historical and cultural articles about Snail Beauty.

Clicking on one of the introductions about Snail Beauty, it was exactly as Chen Yu had described.

"I can't believe it; does it really have a history of over a thousand years?" The Commerce Bureau worker was a bit bewildered after looking at Chen Yu and then at Chen Simian.

"Uncle, do you believe it now?" Chen Yu said with a smile.

Would he admit that these articles were written by him as promotional content? Of course, in modern times, many people would recognize these as promotional pieces at first glance. However, it was different now. The internet had only recently developed, and many people believed that what was written online was true. Moreover, even in the future, using this technique, many people would still fall for it.

"Our Snail Beauty is both produced in Xinfeng and has a certain level of recognition. More importantly, it has a long history and culture to support it... I want to ask, why isn't Snail Beauty considered a Xinfeng specialty?"

"Well... um..." The Commerce Bureau worker felt that something was off, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"What's the matter, Uncle? Snail Beauty completely fits the standards you've mentioned. Could it be that, just as I suspected, whether it's a Xinfeng specialty or not depends on your say-so, and what you say goes?" Chen Yu blinked.

Other business owners also looked at him with smiles.

"Alright, alright, I'll register it for you." The Commerce Bureau worker realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately began entering Chen Simian's information.

"Hey, Chen Yu, what are you doing here?" Everything was fine now, and Chen Yu was satisfied, sitting on the side with his father, waiting. However, at that moment, a voice called out to him. It was Qiu Guoqing from the Taxation Bureau.

"Oh, Qiu Uncle, I ran into you here."

"Hehe, I came with County Chief Lan to see how things are going."

"County Chief Lan?"

Chen Yu was surprised, and Chen Simian was excited as he greeted County Chief Lan, "Hello, County Chief Lan. I'm Chen Simian, and I run a snail snacks business."

"A snail business? It's not Snail Beauty, is it?"

"Yes, yes, County Chief Lan, you know about it too?"

"I do, I do. Your Snail Beauty is quite famous in Xinfeng. Oh, by the way, have you signed up for this Xinfeng specialty promotion event?"

"We're in the process, but..."

Chen Simian began speaking, but the staff member beside him suddenly appeared flustered.

Chen Yu, however, interrupted his father and rushed to say, "County Chief Lan, we've already registered. Look, this gentleman here is helping us with the paperwork."

"Oh, that's great."

"Hehe, County Chief Lan, I forgot to introduce you earlier. This is the Chen Yu I mentioned to you before."

"You're Chen Yu?"

County Chief Lan looked at Chen Yu in utter surprise.